Back On It

After two weeks of vacation, I gained five pounds back out of my twenty that I lost. On reflection it is due to having cocktails and wine plus eating out. I'm amazed at how difficult it is to get non-starch vegetables when eating out. Other than having a salad with every meal it is challenging to say the least. I didn't want to cook because I'm on vacation, I need a break from chores. I finally found a vegetarian restaurant that had some amazing bowls and wraps. That was helpful. I discovered that I like shrimp and grits! I was wondering if grits are a carb that I can have without gaining weight and shooting my glucose levels up. Unfortunately, for me, they are just like potatoes, rice and wheat pasta. For now, I have to get my carbs from corn, peas, squash, and grains like quinoa. It takes experimenting to find out what works for you. We all are individuals when it comes to eating, one size does not fit all.

Now that I'm back I also realize that walking on the beach is much easier on the body than walking on the asphalt. I'm grateful that I don't have to walk on concrete sidewalks, but the asphalt is giving me more fatigue than sand. I was able to walk more than 13,000 steps on the beach each day. It was warmer outside too. I think the cold makes it harder for me. I never thought about the art or science of walking. There's more to it than you think.

I'm determined to at least get my 10,000 steps in each day. I still haven't found the discipline to add rowing, ballet and yoga on a consistent basis. I found a 7-day diet plan to help me kick start back to paying attention to what I eat. I scroll through the internet to find plans that work for weight loss and diabetes. It helps me get back on track to try new recipes and to not have to plan all the meals from scratch. The one thing I don't like about some of these plans is that when I make a casserole or a soup or even a salad, there are leftovers. The plans don't account for the amount of food items or leftovers that you end up with so then I'm left with repeating the same plan or half of it again the next week. It's ok if it's something that can be frozen. Then we can have that a couple of weeks later and rotate the recipes on a wider basis. But a lot of them can't be frozen. Recipes that contain dairy products or fresh vegetables don't freeze well.

There's a lot of work that goes into eating properly. Eating out can be provocative but manageable if not overdone. No fast food! That's a nightmare. Plus, these days it's expensive. You might as well go to a sit-down restaurant.

Hang in there, we can do it.